Devon Alexander vs Ivan Redkach Preview June 1st
Former world champion Devon Alexander of St. Louis takes on Ivan Redkach of Ukraine this Saturday June 1st as the two southpaws meet in a 10 round welterweight bout in San Jacinto, California. The bout can be seen live in the USA on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes. Alexander last fought in August when he dropped a split decision over 12 rounds to Andre Berto. Redkach was last in the ring in February when he stopped Tyrone Harris in the first round.
Alexander vs Redkach Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Ivan Redkach +300
- Devon Alexander -420
My Pick
Former two-division world champion Alexander had fallen below the radar due to his inactivity from October of 2015 to November of 2017. He had lost his last two fights and three of his last four before coming back to beat beating Walter Castillo by a 10-round unanimous decision. He then fought to an exciting 12-round majority draw with Victor Ortiz in his comeback before losing to Berto. The 32-year-old southpaw is now 27-5-1 with 14 Kos and is a former junior welterweight and welterweight world titleholder.
Alexander stands just over 5-feet-8-inches tall with a reach of 69 inches. He’s boxed 245 rounds since turning pro back in 2004 and isn’t really a big hitter with a current knockout ratio of 42 per cent. The former champ has taken on quite a few top boxers such as Berto, Ortiz, Amir Khan, Aaron Martinez, Shawn Porter, Jesus Soto Karass, Tim Bradley, Marcos Maidana, Lucas Matthysse, Andriy Kotelnik, Junior Witter, Juan Urango and DeMarcus Corley. Alexander’s never been stopped with his losses being to Berto, Martinez, Khan, Bradley and Porter.
However, he’s been struggling lately as the record book shows he’s won just two of his last seven fights with four losses and a draw. Alexander has fine boxing skills and decent enough power to go along with his solid chin, but he needs to beat some top-level opponents if he hopes to land another title shot or big-name opponent. Redkach doesn’t fall into that category and a loss for Alexander here would probably result in him being labeled a journeyman.
The 33-year-old Redkach, who now fights out of Los Angeles, climbs into the ring with a mark of 24-4-1 along with 17 Kos. He’s a relentless puncher who likes to go to the body, but has won just four of his last nine bouts along with four losses and a draw. His best wins have come against Tony Luis, Sergey Gulyakevich and Yakubu Amidu. Redkach had an extensive and impressive amateur career but has struggled as a pro over the past couple of years. Redkach turned pro back in 2009 and has 127 rounds under his belt since then.
His losses have been by fourth-round TKO to Dejan Zlaticanin in 2015, a 10-round unanimous decision to Tevin Farmer in 2016 and the split decision defeat to Argenis Mendez in May of 2017. He was also stopped by John Molina in the fourth round of a slugfest in December, 2017. Redkach’s lone draw was a 10-round affair with Luis Cruz in April of 2016. He’s just over 5-feet-10-inches tall with a reach of 71 inches which gives him a two-inch edge in height and reach on Alexander. He possesses pretty good power with a current knockout ratio of 61 per cent. He’s a tough guy who’s been in several wars.
Prediction…
Alexander definitely has the better boxing skills while Redkach has the edge in power. Alexander’s got a solid chin though and has never been stopped. Also, this is Redkach’s first fight as a full fledged welterweight since he weighed in at 145 lbs back in 2011, which was the heaviest of his career. He’s basically always fought as a junior welterweight. As long as Alexander lets his hands go and his chin is still solid he should be able to outbox Redkach.
Alexander wins as long as he lets his hands go.
Play: Alexander -420 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Devon Alexander betting • Ivan Redkach betting